The invention relates to a monitoring device for use in conjunction with a dishwasher and the operating cycle therefore to ascertain the status of the washing portion of the operating cycle when the door is opened for placing additional items in the dishwasher rack.
In the operation of the usual homestyle type of dishwasher the dishes are loaded into a rack slidably mounted in the washer and extendable for loading when the dishwasher door is opened, the operating cycle usually being initiated with closing of the door. However, there are many instances in which the dishwasher may only be partially loaded and the door closed and then, at some later time, additional dishes may want to be added to the rack before the operating cycle is actually started. In some instances, some sort of an indicator may be associated with the operating cycle to indicate when the dishwashing cycle is completed. However, opening the dishwasher door after the cycle has been completed renders the cycle inoperative, so for the addition of only one or a few more dishes, the cycle must be fully operative. Further, at some earlier time, if the operation of the dishwasher has been commenced and additional dishes may want to be washed in the same cycle, then it may be too late to actually insert the dishes because the washing portion of the cycle has already been completed. It is therefore of help to know if the washing portion of the cycle has not yet been started or has been partially completed, or if the full cycle has been completed so that a decision can be made relative to the status of the washing time that may be left to complete the washing of any dishes to be added. A problem also arises in the event the user intends to remove only one or more dishes from the dishwasher during the operation of the cycle, although a signal may be given upon completion of the operating cycle, this signal is then negated as soon as the door of the dishwasher is opened, even to remove only one dish. This does not tell the user, when there are subsequent openings of the door, whether or not the dishes have been completely washed particularly with reference to the washing portion of the cycle. With the present invention, this device reveals with the opening of the door if the washing cycle has been started, has been partially completed, or has been completed in its entirety, thereby negating any further use of the washing portion of the cycle for washing additional dishes. In other words, the device eliminates any guesswork on the part of the user as to the portion of the operating cycle that may stir be of use.
The present invention is concerned primarily with a visual monitoring device that is completely independent of the operating cycle for the dishwasher, thereby eliminating any guesswork as to the status of the operating cycle. In other words, the cycle of operation normally consists of washing, rinsing and drying. It may be advantageous to know exactly when one or more additional dishes may be added to the washer once the operating cycle has been initiated. Actually, it is of no benefit to place additional dishes in the washer if the washing portion of the cycle has already been completed. It is to this end that the invention is directed. As will be described hereinafter, it will be evident that such a device is relatively simple, not only in its makeup, but also in the way it may be used and can be set to operate on its own with no connection to the actual electrical circuitry of the operating cycle.
The primary object of the invention, therefore, is to provide a visual monitoring device for use in conjunction with a dishwasher for ascertaining partial and complete operation of the washing portion of the operating cycle with the opening of the dishwasher door at any stage of the cycle.
A further object of the invention is to provide a visual monitoring device which embodies a buoyant member carrying an indicating means for displaying the condition of the washing portion of the operating cycle of the dishwasher at any time with the opening of the dishwasher door.
Another object of the invention is to provide a device which is completely independent of the operating cycle of the dishwasher for monitoring the washing portion of the operating cycle.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a device easily mountable on the rack of the dishwasher and which can be selectively positioned in a position for controlling the flow of water accumulated in the device during the washing portion of the operating cycle and then showing completion of the washing portion of the operating cycle by means of a buoyant member associated with water accumulated during the washing portion of the cycle.
These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art by the description which follows.